


Strawberry Shortcake

by Viper_Flower



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: (you'll see what I mean later), Crying, Fashion & Couture, Fashion Show, Gen, Girls In Suits, Guys in Dresses, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, Unconventional Clothing Choices
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24017134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viper_Flower/pseuds/Viper_Flower
Summary: The Hermitcraft girls are planning a server-wide fashion show, and Xisuma gets a makeover
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 145





	1. Feeling Unsure Of My Naked Body

**Author's Note:**

> Heya!  
> Quick note, there is NO shipping or sexual content here. Though some may consider clothes that show more skin to be "provocative" or "asking for it", people can wear what they want how they want, and btw, clothes are pieces of fabric with no gender. Don't agree? Just leave, no need to argue.  
> I hope you enjoy this fic!

“Shashwammy!” Xisuma sighed, looking up from his admin code and squinting. He’d spent the past four hours looking for messed up lines of code, and his eyes hurt a lot. In front of him, Keralis and Grian were giggling and carrying a few shulkerboxes.

“What’s up, guys? Are you missing inventory items?” Xisuma tried not to sound annoyed. He truly loved his friends, but he was too stressed to deal with more issues. Keralis and Grian’s happy expressions dropped slightly when they picked up on Xisuma’s tone.

“No, we just wanted to try a fun experiment, but if you’re busy-” Grian explained, tucking away a box before Xisuma held up a hand.

“It’s fine, I should probably take a break anyway. What kind of experiment are we talking about?” Xisuma raised an eyebrow, slightly suspicious. Grian’s experiments usually were pranks, while it could mean anything for Keralis. However, their smiles were worth the risk.

“It’s a social experiment! You know how the girls are putting together a fashion show on Saturday?” Grian illustrated as he shifted the shulkerboxes in his arms.

“Yes, they proposed it to me last week. Are you going to enter?” Xisuma inquired. Grian winked as Keralis nodded vigorously.

“Yessiree! Well, they needed someone to fill in for Mumbo, who’s sick, and since Grian’s now doing that, we need someone to fill for him, and we were like, Shashwammy might like to! So that’s why we’re here!” Keralis handed Xisuma a shulker that was colored pastel pink. Xisuma peeked inside and thanked the Void the others couldn’t see how red his face turned.

“Why- why’d you think of me for… for this outfit? I’ve never really… worn something like this.” Xisuma stammered. He quickly backtracked when he saw Keralis and Grian pout. “It’s not like it’s bad, I’ve just…” He rubbed the back of his neck and only felt the jumpsuit under his armor scraping against his gloves. “I usually stay more covered up.”

“Well, that’s part of the experiment!” Grian exclaimed, cheering up slightly. “You try something new and we record how the others react! We’re also going out of our comfort zones with our outfits,” Grian pulled a sports jacket and derby shoes from a blue shulker. “I have to wear this! I’ve never really worn suits, and when I did, they were just thrown together.”

“Yeah, same thing here!” Keralis pulled a romper out of his orange shulker. “The closest I’ve worn to this is my construction vest!” All three of them chuckled at that, and Keralis opened up Xisuma’s box. “So just try it on. We won’t press if you hate it, but it won’t hurt to try!” Xisuma puffed a little and smiled lightly. It wouldn’t hurt, would it?

“Alright, let me try it on.” He took the box, and his heart melted a bit at Keralis and Grian’s radiant smiles. Slipping into the bathroom attached to his office, he pulled the outfit from its box. Detaching his helmet, he hooked up his ventilator so he could still breathe. 

Unlatching his armor and letting it drop to the floor, Xisuma looked at himself in the mirror. All he had on was his jumpsuit, and he knew that needed to come off too. He held back another sigh and unzipped it. Every inch of exposed skin screamed at him, telling him “Stop, what are you doing, gross!” 

“Shut up,” Xisuma mumbled to himself, forced himself to not look back in the mirror, and grabbed the first layer of his new outfit. Around one minute later, Xisuma poked his head out of the bathroom. Grian and Kerlais, who were sitting criss-cross applesauce on the floor, looked over at his flustered expression. “Uh, can I have some help?”


	2. 'Cause It's How I Look And Not What I Think

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xisuma sees himself in his new outfit, emotions are shared, and Evil Xisuma makes an appearance!

“Guys, I’m not totally sure about this,” Xisuma stood in front of the full-length mirror in his office, picking at his freshly-painted nails and adjusting his ventilator. Next to him, Grian and Keralis had quickly changed into their own outfits, having not needed help like Xisuma. “I like it, it’s just… in front of the whole server? I’m the admin, they need to take me seriously.” He did another turn, reaching his arms up and wincing as the sleeves tightened around his upper arm.

“They will, we all know it’s just for fun!” Keralis assured him, taking his hands and beaming at him. “Look into my eyes, Shashwammy. You’ll be fine! If you’re sure you don’t want to, that’s alright, but we’re here to support you in anything.” Xisuma took a deep breath and nodded.

“No, you’re right, I’ll be fine.” Xisuma again looked at his reflection, and every imperfection made itself known. How his muscles looked clunky and out-of-place against the puffed sleeves; how every scar stuck out against his tan skin; how his muddy-colored hair looked like a rat had made its home there despite Grian brushing it for 20 minutes. He was not fine. He felt something wrap around him, and his brain took a second to register that it was Keralis and Grian hugging him.

“X? You zoned out for a few minutes and nearly fell over!” Grian worried, gripping tighter at Xisuma. Keralis nodded against Xisuma’s chest, and guilt flowed through the latter.

“Sorry, I just… spaced out a bit. Got lost in my own thoughts.” Xisuma muttered as he hugged them back, resting his shin on Keralis’s head. He hadn’t realized how much he needed it, honestly. For a few minutes, the three of them stood there, letting themselves recharge before going on with life.

“Let’s get changed, okay?” Keralis whispered, pulling back from the hug and rubbing Xisuma’s cheek with his thumb. He and Grian nodded, and Xisuma waited as Grian and Keralis switched into their regular outfits before assisting Xisuma. He quickly jotted down notes for adjustments, such as broader shoulders and a longer torso, and a personal note for the color choice. Stress had included a sticky-note that promised alterations before their run-through.

“We have a practice on Thursday at 2 at Stress’s place, so let’s meet up at my mansion at 1 to hang out for a bit, ‘kay?” Grian proposed as he undid the ties on Xisuma’s outfit. Xisuma murmured his agreement, and Keralis gave a thumbs up while handing over the admin’s helmet. Xisuma took it gratefully and pulled his messy brown hair into a ponytail before locking his breathing assistance in place. The two smaller men slid out of the room, letting Xisuma fully undress and change into his normal clothes. Once back in his jumpsuit and armor, Xisuma already felt more comfortable.

“Unless we’re needed for anything else, I guess us two are outta here.” Keralis chuckled, and Xisuma nodded. Suddenly, he realized he hadn’t said much since his little zone-out earlier.

“Um, yeah, I think I’m all set,” Xisuma cleared his throat and looked up at the other two. “I’ll… see you then?” Grian and Keralis didn’t seem to notice the slight hesitation.

“Yep! Seeya, X-I!” With that, the two grabbed their shulkerboxes and took off out of the office, leaving Xisuma sitting at his desk.

The admin sighed and looked at his hands. Those two held a soft place in his heart, an old friend and a new, gold and silver. And they understood, they gave him every opportunity to back out and encouraged him when he didn’t. A smile danced its way onto his lips. Looking back up, he summoned the admin code and was met with an ID lock.

‘Retinal scan required. Please unobscure eyes for scanning.’ A robotic voice instructed. Xisuma reached up to open his visor as he had hundreds of times before, but something stopped him. He… he really didn’t want to. It’s just a simple visor, what’s wrong with that? He didn’t even need to take off his helmet? So why was showing his eyes so hard now? ‘Please unobscure eyes for scanning.’ Why did he feel so… exposed? He literally just strutted around with bare legs, how come this was so hard?

“Helmet stuck again, eh?” Xisuma rapidly looked up to see his twin looking back at him with a tilted head. His voice was slightly odd, as he had turned off the reverb his helmet usually supplied. “I can help get it off of you need.” Evil Xisuma, or E as he was now known, reached across the desk but Xisuma forced himself back.

“NO!” E stilled, and Xisuma realized how angry he sounded. “I- Wha- I’m… I’m sorry, E. I shouldn’t have lashed out.” E slowly approached him from the side and cupped Xisuma’s face in his hands. The latter didn’t realize what he was doing until he heard the click of the latch and heavy air rushed into the vacuum his helmet created. The top half of his helmet was listed away slowly, but Xisuma grabbed it and forced it back on, catching his hair in the process and yanking his ponytail. “DON’T! Please…” E gave his brother a sympathizing look and lowered his hands.

“It’s gotten that bad, huh?” Was all E said before Xisuma’s eyes filled with tears. 

Because he was from the Void, Xisuma’s and E’s tears were pitch black with shining dots in them that resembled stars. E wanted so badly to wipe the shimmering droplets away, but he knew that if he reached forward he might scare Xisuma again. Thankfully, the helmet evaporated the tears before they could flood, but they still stained Xisuma’s cheeks.

“I don’t know why… I was fine just earlier… I was better earlier…” Xisuma sobbed, reaching forward and pulling E towards him. E leaned forward and rubbed Xisuma’s trembling back.

“And that’s a huge step forward. I saw you and your friends looking so amazing while I was checking the security cameras, and your smile was bigger than ever.” E assured, his tone low and calm. “And you’re allowed to have a step back too. Let’s not stay here too long though. We’ve got to keep moving forward, right? ᒷ ̇/!¡ᔑリ↸ ʖᒷ||𝙹リ↸ ᒷ ̇/!¡ᒷᓵℸ ̣ ᔑℸ ̣ ╎𝙹リᓭ, as Mom used to say?”

“If only she knew what her bastard sons were up to now, I wonder what she’d think?” Xisuma hiccuped, and E laughed wistfully. “She’d call us ∴𝙹∷ℸ ̣ ⍑ꖎᒷᓭᓭ ᓭ𝙹リᓭ 𝙹⎓ ᔑ ↸𝙹⊣.” 

“Nah, she’s classier than that. She’d just straight up vibe-check us into the ℸ ̣ ╎ᒲᒷ 𝙹⚍ℸ ̣ ᓵ𝙹∷リᒷ∷.” Both twins were laughing and crying so hard their lung hurt. 

“Thanks, E,” Xisuma regained his composure and looked E in the eyes. “I needed that.”

“So, can we try taking another step forward?” E offered, and his smile grew when Xisuma nodded. He turned the chair to face the admin screen that was still open on the desk.

‘Please unobscure eyes for scanning.’ Xisuma took a deep breath and slid up his visor. ‘Scanning… scan complete. Welcome, X-I-Suma Void.’ E couldn’t help but laugh again.

“Oh my god, even your computer can’t get your name right.” E wheezed, and Xisuma gave him a playful whack upside the head.

“Oh, shut up, you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JSYK, this is very much me projecting on Xisuma. I get very self-conscious after wearing something out of my comfort zone, and it's okay to go back into your bubble for a bit after trying something new, but don't stay there too long!  
> Also, we should see Xisuma's full outfit soon, so be patient!
> 
> Also, the weird characters are from the Standard Galactic Alphabet (also the Minecraft Enchanting Language); here are the translations!:  
> "ᒷ ̇/!¡ᔑリ↸ ʖᒷ||𝙹リ↸ ᒷ ̇/!¡ᒷᓵℸ ̣ ᔑℸ ̣ ╎𝙹リᓭ" : "Expand beyond expectations"  
> "∴𝙹∷ℸ ̣ ⍑ꖎᒷᓭᓭ ᓭ𝙹リᓭ 𝙹⎓ ᔑ ↸𝙹⊣" : "Worthless sons of a dog"  
> "ℸ ̣ ╎ᒲᒷ 𝙹⚍ℸ ̣ ᓵ𝙹∷リᒷ∷" : "time out corner"


	3. Gotta Make Sure That My Legs Are Shiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day of the show, and Xisuma's nerves are through the roof

Friday. Normally, Xisuma couldn’t wait for Friday, since everyone decided that Fridays would be a relaxation day, meaning everyone was free to hang out. Xisuma loved hanging out with his friends, especially when they had big plans. Today’s big plans were different, though, and Xisuma could feel his stomach tighten in nervousness. Or maybe it was how tightly Cleo was lacing his outfit; despite making the needed adjustments, Stress had explained that his silhouette needed to fit the ensemble, so he was being put through the absolute torture of Cleo getting him in his outfit. 

“Breath in on three, okay? One… two… three!” Xisuma felt his back get yanked upright as he sucked in his chest. Thankfully, his ventilator stayed in place as he jerked forward.

“Ah! Goodness, Cleo, are you sure it’s supposed to be that tight?” Xisuma joked and grunted as Cleo tugged at the laces again.

“Who’s the designer here, you or me?” Cleo snapped. Xisuma relented, realizing she’d probably been stressed for the whole week. “Okay, let me finish tying this and we’ll get the next layer on.” Xisuma nodded, letting Cleo finish trussing when a knock sounded at the door. “One sec!” Cleo called before fastening the last button and strutting over to the door. “Oh, Tango, is that the emergency wool shipment? Thank goodness, Xisuma’s shrug ripped during practice, and we couldn’t find the right color fabric to fix it.” Cleo grabbed the soft blue wool from Tango and left the room to get it to one of the other girls.

“No problem! If there’s any way I can help…” Tango trailed off as he glanced over at Xisuma, who was only in capris and shapewear. Xisuma shyly waved and Tango waved back. “Guess I should step out. See you on the runway, break a leg!” Tango quickly spun on his heel and hurried out of the changing room.

“Well, I got False the wool so she can fix your shrug, and-” Cleo returned and saw the disheartened expression on Tango’s face. “Oh, X. Don’t feel upset, he was just surprised. I was surprised when I saw how much muscle you had!” Xisuma let out a feeble chuckle, letting Cleo poke at his bicep. “C’mon, let’s get the next part on.”

About ten minutes of tailoring and fitting later, as well as False coming in and tugging at his hair, Xisuma stepped out of the changing room fully dressed and slid behind the makeshift stage. Trotting quickly so any unexpected callers didn’t see him, he made his way over to Stress, who was doing Keralis’s makeup.

“Hey, Shashwammy!” Keralis greeted cheerfully. Stress quickly finished Keralis’s eyebrows before looking up.

“Oh goodness, you look absolutely gorgeous!” Stress exclaimed. “You were right, those colors suit you much better.”

“Thanks, Stress, glad you think so. And I like the gem decal!” Xisuma praised the little trail of faux gemstones that rested by Keralis’s eyes.

“Bless your heart, Izzuma!” Stress pressed a hand to her heart, then added a little more blush to Keralis’s cheek. “Now you’re right as rain, me dear!

“Shpank you so much, beautiful!” Keralis stood up and kissed Stress on her forehead. The makeup artist just giggled and petted Keralis’s hair as he went to find someone to hang out with before the show.

“Now, let’s see what we can do here, darling.” Stress patted the seat, and Xisuma sat down as she inspected his profile. “Your tone is much darker than I expected, I’d have thought you’d be so pale from lack of sunlight!” Stress remarked as she quickly mixed up a proper shade of foundation.

“I’ve gotten that a lot; my brother and I were born with pitch-black skin that lightened once we left the Void,” Xisuma explained as Stress cleaned the oils from his face. Everyone knew that Xisuma was from the Void, and he’d tell them short tales of his past, but he never went into specifics. “Plus, I don’t wear my helmet all the time, the ventilator works just fine.”

“Speaking of, didn’t you say you were going to have some sort of ‘replacement’ for it?” Stress inquired as she began to apply some bronzer.

“Yeah, Doc should be here with that at any time.” Xisuma pondered, he should have delivered the unit before Xisuma even got changed. “Wonder where he is…”

“I’m right here,” Stress turned and Xisuma looked over her shoulder when they heard a gruff voice nearby. Doc stood there awkwardly with a fancy-looking box. “I was testing the filter and lost track of time.” He handed the box over to Xisuma, who thanked him and opened it. In his hands, Xisuma held what looked like a thin, clear plastic nose with two small pumps by the nostrils. “If it works as planned, you should be able to breathe while not having a large device like the helmet. Granted, it’s only a prototype.” Xisuma unhooked his ventilator, hooked up the new device, and took a deep breath.

“It’s perfect, Doc, I can’t thank you enough for getting this on such short notice.” Xisuma took Doc’s hand and squeezed it, smiling widely. Doc hesitated and grumbled what sounded like ‘no problem’ before nodding at Stress and taking his leave.

“An old sourpuss, isn’t he?” Stress huffed, turning back to Xisuma. “Don’t mind him, darling, he’s just a grouchy grumpy-grump. At least he made the device easy enough to cover up!” Xisuma laughed slightly, letting Stress continue working her magic with her brushes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeeeehhh, not super happy with this one. I tried to do more of the "oh, inner conflict, should I listen to others" kinda thing but it feels more filler-y and rushed. At least it's a bit longer than the other chapters!  
> Oh well, next chapter's the show, and Xisuma's full outfit will be shown!


	4. Now The Boys Want A Taste Of My Strawberry Shortcake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Showtime!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note; slight cursing and some French

TFC sat in the back row of seats, gaze drifting across the buzzing audience, everyone chattering away. Beside him, Mumbo Jumbo sat with a handkerchief held to his mouth. The young man had gotten ill, and couldn’t participate in the show, but it was kind of him to show up. ‘Then again,’ TFC thought, ‘if he gets me sick, I may just throw hands.’

“Gentlemen, gentlemen, we have a wonderful program for you tonight!” TFC’s attention was drawn back to the stage as False stood in front of the crowd. “Thanks to the amazing tailoring skills of Cleo and Stress, with very little help from yours truly, we present to you a show unlike any before on this server!”

“Except for annual shows since season 5,” Iskall muttered under his breath, and TFC rolled his eyes are the sarcastic youth.

“This year, we’re going for a new theme, and I think you’ll properly enjoy it!” False grinned, and a large banner unfurled above her. On it, pink and blue swirls danced together, and a large purple intersex symbol stood out. “It’s called ‘FUCK GENDER ROLES!’” Everyone in the audience burst out laughing and applauding. “Thank you for coming, hope you enjoy!” False strutted off the runway and hurried behind her backstage mic, pressing play on a jukebox connected to speakers outside.

“First off, we have the prince of twinks, Grian, on stage in Costume De Minet, and the queen herself, Cleo, in Reine Des Coeurs Saignants” False announced as the chorus of ‘Uma Thurman’ by Fall Out Boy blasted, and the audience applauded as Grian pranced down the catwalk with his arm hooked with Cleo’s, a couple of people snickering at the funny name. Grian wore a silk button-up with the top buttons undone, exposing his cleavage area, and his sport’s jacket was tailored to exhibit his curves. Cleo wore a similar top, more rectangular, and designed to present her muscles. Both wore slacks that ended mid-calf, and Grian’s sheer stockings transitioned to dark grey pumps. Cleo wore large darby shoes and thick wool socks underneath, contrasting their styles. Grian gave a small spin and Cleo smirked, and they gave a little wave as he walked back down the runway.

“Next up, two brown-eyed beauties show off a twin outfit, Stress and Keralis in ‘Le Bon Côté’.” Soon, ‘Slide’ by Goo Goo Dolls chimed out as Keralis and Stress skipped happily down the runway, spotlights refracting off their finery. They wore matching rompers, Keralis in neon orange, and Stress in deep blue. Keralis's makeup was all glitter while Stress had a more matte finish, and black Doc Martens clomped alongside white Mary Janes. They did a small spin at the end, and Stress dipped Keralis so far he nearly bumped noses with Bdubs, who sat in the front row. Pulling him back quickly, Stress sent Keralis spinning back behind the curtains, strutting after him cooly.

“To round off tonight’s show, and send a last ‘fuck off’ to gender norms, we have our admin, Xisumavoid, in ‘Fraise Abeille’.” X took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the curtain as ‘Strawberry Shortcake’ by Melanie Martinez rang out over the audience. Working his plush pink lips into a smile and tossing his umber hair with a flutter of his pearl-shaded eyes, Xisuma heard as the audience hushed. Every step of his pure white kitten-heels clacked against the floor, and his bare shaved legs felt cold against a slight breeze. Multiple petticoats swished around his knees, the rose-pink lace over butter-yellow satin contrasting nicely against his tan skin. Reaching the end of the runway, he stretched leisurely and sleekly, slowly thrusting out his torso, and the soft yellow and pink lines of silk that wrapped around him folded charmingly. Though his corset strained slightly under the fabric, Xisuma never felt so comfortable about his large body. His puffy sleeves scrunched as his shoulders rose, and brought attention to the thin lace choker around his neck. Spinning slowly and revealing the faux bees wings attached to his dress, Xisuma sent a teasing smile over his shoulder, somehow making eye contact with Ren. The hound sent a small wink and a thumbs-up, and Xisuam giggled softly. Nearly floating back to the curtains, he turned back quickly and stuck out his tongue cutely before hopping backstage. 

Xisuma heard the audience go buck-wild behind him, and the poor man nearly collapsed out of relief. Stress hurried up to him, squealing, and offered him a hand. Xisuma took it and was lead back to the changing room. Quickly taking out the prototype ventilator for his regular one, he observed as Grian and Keralis funneled in. They were both laughing, screeching, and Grian even had tears in his eyes. The girls were still out there, receiving applause from the audience for all their work putting the event together.

“Shashwammy, you absolutely gorgeous man! You were breathtaking!” Keralis lept into Xisuma’s arms and embraced him tightly. Xisuma hugged him back, slightly embarrassed that everyone could see him blushing. 

“You looked quite amazing yourself! The dip at the end was expertly done, Keralis.” He complimented, and Keralis gave him a little kiss on the cheek. It was something he usually did, but without the helmet in the way, Xisuma felt a little dearer to his friend.

“Did you hear them! They’re still applauding!” Grian exclaimed, the door to the room open. “Guys, we really broke the server this time!” He laughed loudly, and Xisuma couldn’t help but join in. It went without saying; yeah, the server would be different from now on, but it was a good different. Maybe even good for Xisuma too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed Xisuma's outfit too! This took way too long to write because of my messed up sleep schedule (tired author noises)  
> Just chuck the outfit titles through Google Translate, that's what I did, so sorry if I got something weird.


End file.
